The 7 Things You Should Be Talking About Today
1. Senator Chuck Schumer is signalling that he is ready for another shutdown
— In an effort to avoid the government shutdown, Schumer says he put some amount of funding for the border wall on the table; he has now taken that offer away.
— The White House has stated that the Graham-Durbin-Schumer immigration deal is “dead on arrival“.
— President Donald Trump predictably Tweeted: “Cryin’ Chuck Schumer fully understands, especially after his humiliating defeat, that if there is no Wall, there is no DACA. We must have safety and security, together with a strong Military, for our great people!”
2. A flurry of moves in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation
— News leaked yesterday that both former FBI director James Comey and now-attorney general Jeff Sessions have both been interviewed by the team investigating Trump/Russia and obstruction of justice allegations.
— Mueller is also seeking an interview with President Trump, leading many to believe the probe is wrapping up.
— The media is pushing the idea that #ReleaseTheMemo is a Russian bot movement; not true.
3. Alabama looks to end civil asset forfeiture
— Much has been made about the act of civil asset forfeiture, where authorities can seize assets they believe may have been used to commit a crime without a conviction.
— Assets that are seized from an individual who is later found innocent are not always returned.
— Criminal forfeiture would remain in place if this bill were to pass, meaning those found guilty could still lose their property.
4. The Alabama House of Representatives voted to end U.S. Senate Special elections
— The House passed a bill that would place U.S. elections on a normally scheduled ballot, as opposed to leaving the option for a special election to be set by the governor.
— The current law states the Governor appoints a replacement and could schedule a special election “forthwith”; Bentley decided not to schedule the election and when he was removed Kay Ivey moved the election to December of 2017.
— There is no way to look at this and not see it as a direct response to Democrat Doug Jones winning the U.S. Senate seat, in spite of the claims that it is about the cost of the election.
5. President Trump places tariffs on solar panels from China and washing machines from South Korea
— The first 1.2 million imported washing machines will have a 20 percent tariff imposed on them in Year 1, then a 50 percent tariff on machines above that number.
— The tariffs on solar panels are being used to target Chinese suppliers who can sell at lower prices because of state-funded subsidies provided by the communist nation.
— The move is being widely panned but it has been reported that several foreign firms may be interested in moving production to the US.
6. If you missed work because of the government shutdown, you will get paid
— Fear not furloughed federal government employees, your pay will not be affected.
— This has been the standard procedure of recent shutdowns.
— The idea that the United States Congress was going to let these employees lose pay was never a real possibility; it was hype by politicians and the news media.
7. The NFL rejects a veterans group ad asking that NFL players “#PleaseStand”
— A veterans group tried to place a one-page ad in the Super Bowl program but the NFL rejected it because it was political in nature.
— The NFL has been pummeled by the public and the president for allowing players to protest on the field during the national anthem by kneeling on the field.
— Another ad was approved for the Veterans of Foreign Wars; it read “We Stand for Veterans”.
